Fahrenheit-182: A Memoir

by Mark Hoppus

But really, what else was there for teenagers to do in 1988 other than hang out at the mall and try very hard to seem like you don’t care?

For my sixteenth birthday I went to my first concert, They Might Be Giants at the old 9:30 Club.

song. It was fast and sloppy, but we were proud of our creation and called it “Carousel.”

Sure, it seemed like a one-in-a-million shot, but one-in-a-million happens to me all the time.

That’s all you need in life—good friends, good quotes, and a great steering wheel that doesn’t fly out the window while you are driving.

I’d written the song “Josie” years prior about a woman like Skye. A woman so smart and independent she doesn’t need me quite half as much as I need her. When I wrote it, it wasn’t about anyone in particular. I was just imagining the perfect woman. My dream girl. So, when I met Skye it felt like I’d written her into existence. Like I’d found my Josie.

We spent our last day at a studio in the Capitol Records building, mixing the opening track, “Feeling This.” We had to get this one just right. To me, it showcased everyone at their absolute best. If aliens ever came down from outer space and asked what blink-182 sounds like, I’d play them that song.

We called it +44, the international calling code for dialing the U.K.